Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series Coming to HBO

Jonathan Nolan, brother of Christopher, will oversee the adaptation.

Jonathan Nolan, fresh off writing Interstellar, will soon be manning another big sci-fi travel epic: a film adaptation of the Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov.

Jonathan, the brother and collaborator of Christopher Nolan on Interstellar, the Dark Knight movies, and The Prestige, will adapt Asimov's sprawling tale of interstellar empires, predictive mathematics, and the downfall of civilization. In the series, a group of mathematicians use expansive algorithms to predict the oncoming collapse of the Galactic Empire and work to prevent the worst effects of the collapse.

The novels, also a favorite of New York Times' columnist Paul Krugman, are cerebral affairs. Asimov's story is less space opera and more behind-the-scenes wonkiness with the highest of stakes. For their plan to work, the protagonists must face a series of moral dilemmas the rest of the galaxy will never know about.

Jonathan Nolan is a busy man—he's also fast at work on an adaptation of Westworld for HBO. This will be the first adaptation of Foundation, though certainly not the first of Asimov's work. The paring of Asimov with Nolan, however, seems particularly well matched.

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